GREAT-GRANDAD David Reid is hopeful Nice’s u-turn on eye drugs could offer him some hope in his bid to stave off blindness.

The 78-year-old Korean war veteran from Bodffordd, Anglesey, was told in April that the sight-saving drug Lucentis was not available to him on the NHS.

Obtaining the drug privately would have cost him £1,000-£3,000 for a course of three injections.

Mr Reid suffers from Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) in his right eye.

The retired electrician’s left eye, which began deteriorating about five years ago, has already been badly affected by another condition and is beyond recovery.

“Last February I could read, write, see my computer and watch TV, but now I can only listen to talking books,” said the former Royal Naval seaman who served aboard HMS Jamaica, the only UN ship to shoot down a communist plane during the Korean War.

Mr Reid, who has lived in Anglesey for almost 40 years,, said his right eyewill only get worse without treatment.

The drug Lucentis can inhibit the growth of a critical protein which plays a role in the formation of abnormal leaking blood vessels.

“My consultant told me that 73% of patents treated could benefit but at that time it wasn’t available on the NHS, Mr Reid added.